Who is C?
Our boss, the Chief, commonly referred to as ‘C’, is the only member of our staff who is publicly named. She reports directly to the Foreign Secretary and is responsible for ensuring we operate securely all over the world in our mission to keep the nation safe.
Our current Chief
Blaise Metreweli is a career intelligence officer, having joined the Service in 1999. She has undertaken a range of roles across the Service, most recently Director General Technology and Innovation or 'Q'. Blaise has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe. She studied Anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Former Chiefs
There have been 18 Chiefs so far, beginning with Sir Mansfield Cumming, the original ‘C’, in 1909. As an admiral, Cumming's habit of writing in green ink has persisted to this day, with the current C still writing her notes in green. Sir Mansfield Cumming left other legacies too – to this day we call our reporting ‘CX reports’ after ‘Cumming’s Exclusives’, the name he gave to his reports to government.
